"jimmy fallon" happening right se this morning on "early today," feeling the heat, as scorching temperatures grip more than half the nation. is there any relief in sight? fiscal fight, a warning from president obama as the clock ticks down on the debt default deadline. and a walk to remember. astronauts complete the final spacewalk of the american astronauts complete the final spacewalk of the american shuttle era. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hlo and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a summer scorcher.

dangerously high levels of heat and humidity have a large portion of the country in a choke hold this morning as the mercury hits record highs in the northeast and heat advisories remain in effect for several states. residents are wondering when the brutal heat will pass. nbc's jay gray has more. >> reporter: the blazing summer sun is delivering heat -- >> it's super hot. >> reporter: -- and havoc across a huge cross-section of the country right now. the national weather service has issued a heat advisory in at least 23 states, with an excessive heat warning across parts of ten states in the south and midwest. >> this is some oppressive and dangerous heat. >> reporter: dangerous and deadly. a 51-year-old illinois man suffered a fatal heatstroke. investigators say his air conditioner was broken. hundreds lined up in oklahoma city looking for help with their electric bills and a little bit of relief. >> we have fans. you know, if the electric isn't on, the air doesn't work, so hot

air blowing in. >> reporter: hot area over 100 degrees that's been in the area for 14 straight days now and that forecasters say will linger for at least another week. >> what we have is a gigantic easy-bake oven that we're living in right now. >> reporter: while in new york, central park is sizzling. the city plans to open 450 cooling centers. from ice cream to fountains and swimming pools. >> anywhere we can get wet, they love it. >> reporter: people across the country looking for any way -- >> it's hot here! >> reporter: -- to beat the heat. jay gray, nbc news. meanwhile in washington, pressure is mounting for president obama and congressional leaders to come up with a solution to the nation's nagging debt problems before the august 2nd default deadline. driving home that point, the president suggested yesterday that if a deal isn't done, social security checks scheduled to go out next month could be in jeopardy.

nbc's kristen dahlgren joins us from washington with more. kristen, good morning. >> good morning, lynn. this will be the fourth straight day of talks. it may seem like we're talking about the same thing every day. what's changing is the tone is growing more personal, more contentious and still no closer to an agreement. that even with the president's dire warning on those social security checks as well as veterans benefit checks and also disability checks. some 70 million checks he says will not go out if they aren't able to reach a deal by that august 2nd deadline. house speaker john boehner called that a veiled threat. he said it's the president's problem. and mitch mcconsl aiming with his proposed plan to make it the president's problem. he floated a plan that would put the burden on president obama saying that he could raise the debt ceiling but would have to propose some spending cuts. he would only give that power to him until 2012, though. that's when republicans hope to

defeat him in the election. mcconnell said that he floated the backup plan because he doesn't think they can reach a deal with this president in office. so they're back at the table at 4:00 again today. but things growing more contentious. now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. a water main break in oklahoma city soaked city streets tuesday morning. the geyser shot water 40 feet into the air dousing surrounding areas. the city's recently been inundated with ruptures. officials believe that five are the result of shifting soil caused by dry weather conditions. a high-speed chase in los angeles ended with one driver taking a tumble. police began their pursuit of the suv after spotting the vehicle on the road without its headlights on. after several refusals to pull over, police clipped the suv, causing it to roll on its roof. the male driver was then arrested. and finally in chicago, the

windy city is showing a little leg. the larger-than-life legs are part of a grandiose display of american pop culture that will depict that famous subway great scene from the marilyn monroe film, "the seven-year itch." the completed 26-foot structure will be unveiled friday and stand through spring 2012. >> and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. good morning. >> have you ever seen that movie? >> i actually have not. >> neither have i. >> i've only seen the scene. >> a million times, right? that's what i'm going to do today. >> i'm going to sleep. >> that's how boring our lives are. aren't we exciting? the big story nationwide was the heat. and about -- about a third, maybe two-thirds of the country will have temperatures well above average. everywhere in the red was in the 90s. many areas in the 100s.

not just hot, it was humid, too. one city in texas had the feels like temperature in the shade. we've been dominated by a cool weather pattern. it continues. you see the spin here. that's our upper level low in washington state. it is keeping our cool onshore flow. we are going to get a beautiful late spring-type weather in much of central california, especially the valley areas. arizona is getting a break from the extreme heat. we still have a few showers that are rolling north. but a lot are avoiding the big cities. keep that umbrella handy. slight chance of showers from seattle to portland. vegas and phoenix, you know the big time heat will come back. at

as you'd expect, it will warm up eventually. >> much different than what everybody else wants in other parts of the country. >> it is. so extreme the difference between west coast and the rest. >> bill, thanks so much. while default fears spook investors, the trade gap widens, and news corp's next step. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus, from film to fashion, it's turning out to be a bad year for megan fox. home runs, great defense, and a crazy slide at the all-star game. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry, and here are some of your top headlines this morning. in the latest fallout from a widening phone-hacking scandal, england's parliament is now urging rupert murdoch to drop his bid to buy a british

broadcasting company. meanwhile murdoch and his son along with ceo of uk-based international have been summoned to appear before british lawmakers to testify. here at home at least one u.s. senator is calling for congress to investigate whether murdoch's u.s.-based news corp has been involved in hacking victims of 9/11. time may be running out for libya's moammar gadhafi. according to new u.s. intelligence, the embattled leader is running out of cash while fuel in tripoli is reportedly in short supply. meanwhile france's foreign minister said that gadhafi's aides have hinted the leader is ready to step down. it was a historic day for two american astronauts as they completed the shuttle program's final spacewalk, retrieving a failed ammonia pipe from the international space station. in california, michelle obama and former president george w. bush were among those paying their respects to former first lady betty ford. a second funeral will be held in

michigan tomorrow. and sad news to report this morning. tv legend sherwood schwartz, creator of "gilligan's island" and "the brady bunch," has died. he was 94 years old. and now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. u.s. government research shows men who are diagnosed with cancer are more likely to die from the disease than women. the reason, well, the study's lead investigator says men are at a higher risk for developing cancer to begin with due to their increased exposure to carcinogens. also a factor, men are more likely to have advanced cancer by the time it's diagnosed. and for more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page on msnbc.com. >> announcer: "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil wash with odor block, the confident clean. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,446 after

losing 58 points yesterday. the s&p dipped 5 points. the nasdaq fell 20. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei was up 37 points while in hong kong the hang seng rose 263. stocks slid for a third day in a row tuesday over europe's fiscal woes. a potential default by italy was the day's major concern, but a successful sale of new government bonds and austerity plans helped ease fears. investors also were relieved after euro-finance ministers hinted they were open to buying troubled greek bonds, signaling they have not ruled out a greek default. also hurting shares early, in may the u.s. trade gap widened to its highest level in nearly three years. stocks bounced briefly after minutes from the fed's june meeting showed some fed officials unexpectedly suggested the possibility of more stimulus moves. by late in the day, moody's cut

ireland's credit rating to junk status, putting an end to the short rally. techs tumbled on poor results from chipmakers. microchip technology plunged 12% after lowering expectations. novelis fell 11% after cutting its profit forecast. news corp rose more than 8% after the company, in the midst of a widening phone-hacking scandal, said it would buy back $5 billion of its own stock. a day after reporting earnings that met expectations, alcoa fell on concerns falling aluminum prices might affect this quarter. in deal news, video game publisher electronic arts is buying popcap games in a deal worth up to $1.3 billion. and radiant systems rose 30% after saying atm maker ncr corp would buy the company for $1.2 billion. and, finally, the devastation caused by earthquakes, tsunamis,

wildfires and flooding have reportedly made 2011 the costliest year for natural disasters ever recorded to the tune of $265 billion in damages so far, and it is only july. well, the mets make a big trade, and shoonanigans at the tour de france. plus, man down, the padres' heath bell slides his way into an all-star appearance. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. that's the way to do it. your forecast during the day today, a lot of pop-up thunderstorms and the heat continues. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, with an eye on the bottom line, the cash-strapped mets send their closer k-rod pack here's mario solis with an early ing. look at all of your sports headlines. hi, there. good morning. the all-star game was last night, but the mets and the brewers were wheeling and dealing. new york traded closer francisco rodriguez to milwaukee for a pair of players to be named later. k-rod was in line for a $17.5 million option, something the mets wanted no part of. now to phoenix for the all-star game. the red sox's adrian gonzalez, a finalist in home run derby, flexing his muscles once again last night, giving the american league a 1-0 lead with a solo shot in the fourth.

and who says there's no defense in all-star games? looking to add to their lead, adrian beltre singles to left. hunter pence comes up firing and nails jose bautista at the plate. the n.l. gets on the board in the bottom of the inning with two on. prince fielder steps in and steps out. a 410-foot bomb, and he needed every inch of it. the ball hits the top of the wall and bounces over senior circuit, up 3-1. then they turn it over to the pitching staff. the padres' heath bell, pitching a scoreless eighth, but it's the way he enters the game that's got everyone talking. sprinting out of the bull pen and then sliding to the mound, the national league having a ball leading 5-1. prince fielder is the first brewer to be named mvp. as you probably know, derek jeter got hit number 3,000 last saturday with a home run. now the man who caught the ball could face a monumental tax bill. christian lopez gave the ball back to jeter and the yankees in exchange for tickets and signed memorabilia. apparently all of those are taxable items unless they're considered a gift.

now, that is up to the irs to decide, but when it comes to uncle sam, no good deed goes untaxed. and, finally, it was shoeless day at the tour de france for thor hushovd, the norwegian who had a problem with his shoe. and, no, it wasn't athlete's foot, but thanks to his team, he had it fixed without getting off his bike. he took off his shoe and put it back on while moving about 40 miles an hour. hey, if the shoe fits, wear it again. that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. well, which talk show queen may be tapped to host next year's oscar ceremony? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, honoring an army ranger who put his life on the line for his brothers in arms. you're watching "early today."

welcome back on this wednesday morning. still got that pesky upper level low sitting over the northwest. that's why we have showers in the forecast. there's not a lot of wet weather out there, but clouds will be prevalent. still chilly. upper 6 s, low 70s. lower in boise and medford but still below average. should be nice in central california. tomorrow things begin to slowly improve, but not too much warmer. if you're watching us in klamath falls, oregon, they come together to celebrate open dance open mike open jam night at the contemporary arts kitchen.

>> we could do some damage there, bill, you and i. we could. thanks, bill. well, now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. first megan fox was replaced as the love interest in "transformers three." well, now designer giorgio armani is replacing her with singer rihanna as the face and body of emporio armani underwear and armani jeans. the contract for fox was reportedly worth 2 million bucks. according to a report in the "chicago sun-times," the academy of motion picture arts & sciences is eyeing oprah winfrey to host the next oscars. apparently after last year's so-called young oscars experiment, the academy wanted to play it safe, and hey, she's available. we'll see what happens with that. singer/songwriter jewel and rodeo champion ty murray welcome their first child monday in texas, a boy named case. >> that's not bad. >> kind of creative. i like that. and, finally, comedian jerry seinfeld has a deal for

you. the low, low price. a home in teluride, colorado, 14,000 square feet, 12 bedrooms, a guest room all full y furnishd sitting on 27 acres of land. it can all be yours for only $18 million. >> deal. >> done. >> this comes to us from our nation's capital where extraordinary heroism has one american soldier's entry into an exclusive group of patriots. sergeant leroy petry lives with a daily reminder of his sacrifice in afghanistan. he lost his hand picking up an insurgent's grenade to save two fellow soldiers. risking his life netted petry an invitation to the white house where he was saluted for his courage and bestowed the honor of becoming the only second living serviceman to be awarded the medal of honor since the vietnam war. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station.

there's a lot of buzz over a growing trend in hong kong. residents are turning to beekeeping there as a little bit of nature meets the concrete jungle. so far 11 urban beehives have sprouted up around the city that each hold about 10,000 bees. experts say hong kong is ideal for harvesting honey with nearly constant warm weather all year. well, one family proves opposites really do attract. after this fawn's mother was killed, members of the community brought the baby to a nearby farm in texas. it was quickly adopted by a herd of goats and seems to have found the family that it needed. the fawn seems to fit right in

already and has even adapted itself to eating goat's milk. well, going green is a good thing, except when you accidentally recycle your green. a woman in england accidently recycled an envelope filled with almost $1,600 in cash. frantic she called the recycling company who teamed up to sift through mountains of paper. not exactly a needle in a haystack, but it is remarkable they were able to find the envelope with cash intact. she did offer them a reward, but they just accepted a thank you note. they wouldn't take it. >> that's dirty money. >> oh! ba-boom boom. note, it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll now throughout the day on nbc. janet napolitano will travel to minot, north dakota, to sur vav recovery efforts in response to severe flooding in the area. napolitano will be joined by the governor and the city's mayor

for the aerial tour of the region. in washington, d.c., opening statements are scheduled to begin in the trial of former pitching star roger clemens, who's accused of lying to congress about using performance-enhancing drugs. the perjury trial's expected to last between four and six weeks. and happy birthday to actor harrison ford who turns 69. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. "hardball's" chris matthews weighs in on the political standoff over the debt ceiling. and matt, ann, and al pay tribute to sherwood schwartz by remembering their favorite moments from his classic shows, "the brady bunch" and "gilligan's island." now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc

stations. have a good one.